Dr Michael Henke from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and colleagues investigated whether the treatment of anemia with epoetin beta improved the outcome of curative radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer.

The team performed a multicenter trial, which included 351 patients from Europe.

Patients in the placebo group had a 60% better chance of progression-free survival.

Lancet

Patients were given either epoetin beta or placebo approximately 2 weeks before radiotherapy.

Although epoetin beta was effective in treating anemia, patients given epoetin beta fared less well than patients given placebo. Patients in the placebo group had a 60% better chance of progression-free survival.

Results of this study show that anemic patients have reduced cancer progression and increased survival if their anemia is not treated around the time of cancer therapy.

"On the contrary, erythropoietin might impair disease control when manifest cancer is irradiated".

"Future erythropoietin trials should thus carefully analyze cancer control and survival, and investigations on the underlying mechanism of the clinically relevant hemoglobin effect should be reinforced".